Attachment for women&#39;s footwear having spiked heels



Sept. 29, 1964 E. K. TILDEN 3,150,453

ATTACHMENT FOR WOMEN'S FOOTWEAR HAVING SPIKED HEELS Filed March 1, 1965 EDYTHE K. Tl LDEN INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,150,453 ATTACHMENT FOR WOMENS FOOTWEAR HAVING SPIKED HEELS Edythe K. Tilden, 9016 SE. Evergreen Highway, Vancouver, Wash. Filed Mar. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 262,090 2 Claims. ((31. 36-7Z) This invention relates to improvements in protective covers for the spike heels of ladies shoes.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a light weight snug-fitting and neat appearing heel tip cover adapted to be easily applied to or removed from a slender heel shank of the type described, and after being so applied will not materially disturb the fine, graceful lines of the heel, and yet will afford a protective covering for the heel, prolong the fiat form of the bottom of the heel tip, and protect surfaces Walked upon by the wearer of the shoes by preventing the heel tip from denting, marring or otherwise mutilating such surfaces, particularly rugs, hardwood floors, plastic fioor tile and all other floor coverings of similar characteristics.

Another object is to produce an auxiliary heel tip cover of the character described which is extremely light, compact and inexpensive so that it may be conveniently carried in a handbag, and discarded without any serious loss in the event the user should not care to clean and store it for re-use.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the ac companying drawing forming a part hereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a ladys shoe provided with a heel tip cover made in accordance with one form of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional top plan view, on an enlarged scale taken approximately along the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a view somewhat similar to FIGURE 1 showing a modified form of heel tip cover.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of heel tip cover of FIG- URE 3 removed from the heel and with the attaching means thereof shown in an expanded position to receive the heel.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing a further modification.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of FIGURE 5 with the shoe heel removed.

With continuing reference to the drawing wherein like references of character designate like parts and particularly FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof, reference numeral 1 indicates generally a spike heel of a ladys shoe generally tapering from the heel seat 2 into a substantially round slender shank 3 provided at its bottom with a conventional tip (not shown) made of leather, rubber, metal or any other suitable Wear-resisting material secured to the heel 1 by means of a spike 4 (FIG. 2) which also reinforces the heel proper. The spike heel just described is more or less conventional and as such, it is to be understood, does not prescribe any limits of utility of my present invention since obviously its dimensions may be varied to accommodate various styles of heels to obtain the results desired.

The form of attachment shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 comprises a base plate 5 of a configuration in plan view substantially matching that of the bottom end of the heel shank 3. Secured to or integrated with the plate 1 is a cup-shaped member 6 also substantially matching the configuration or the bottom end of the heel shank and formed with upwardly diverging inner walls 7 and 8 to facilitate attachment to the shank. The top rim of the cup-shaped member 6 is provided with a plurality of 3,156,453 Patented Sept. 29, 1964 spring fingers 9, 10, 11 and 12 normally maintained in a closed or heel shank gripping position as shown in FIG- URIES 1 and 2 by spring hinges 13, 14, 15 and 16 respective y.

The bottom surface of the base plate 5 is of slight convex formation as indicated at 20 so as not to interfere with normal walking motion of the shoe and thus prevent rocking of the attachment relative to the heel shank and resultant scarring thereof.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4, the base plate 5A, and cup-shaped member 6A are identical with their counterparts shown in FIGURES l and 2. The heel shank engaging fingers 21, 22, 23, and 24 are hingedly connected respectively to the top rim of the cup-shaped member 6A by hinges 25, 26, 27 and 28 and are interconnected by tension springs 30 whose ends are engaged with apertures 31 in the fingers.

In the further modification illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, the cup-shaped member 6B is secured to the base plate 5B, as in the other forms of the invention, and is integrated with an upstanding semi-cylindrical portion 35, flared slightly outward at its top end as at 36 to facilitate attachment to the heel shank 3. Diametrically opposed to the semi-cylindrical portion 35, is a spring finger 37 attached to the top rim of the cup-shaped member 63 by a spring hinge 38. The finger 37 is coextensive in height with the semi-cylindrical portion 35 and bears firmly against the front of the heel shank 3 to thus maintain that portion 35 in secure engagement with the rearward portion of the shank with the bottom of the shank resting squarely upon the inside bottom Wall 40 of he cup-shaped member 63.

It is to be understood that the inside surfaces of all of the spring fingers shown as well as the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 35 may be provided with a thin layer of suitable cushioning material such as felt or the like or a thin coating of rubber if desired to protect the surface of the heel shank from being scratched when the attachments are being applied to or removed from the heel shank.

It is also to be understood that combining the attachment with the heel of a shoe as herein shown and described does not necessarily prescribe any limits of utility of the invention since obviously it may be advantageously used on the bottom ends of thin legs such as are used on card tables, modern metal kitchen tables, and other modern thin legged furnishings to prevent marring or cutting into the floors, rugs or other supporting surfaces or floor coverings.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A protective attachment for the shank of a spike heel and for the bottom tip end thereof, comprising,

a substantially circular base plate,

an upwardly opening cup-shaped member having a top rim and integrated concentrically with said base plate to receive the bottom tip end of the heel shank,

an upwardly extending semi-cylindrical member integrated concentrically with said cup-shaped member partially embracing said heel shank, and,

at least one spring finger carried by the rim of said cupshaped member coextensive in height with said upwardly extending semi-cylindrical member and bearing against said heel shank for biasing said semicylindrical member and said spring finger toward each other in clamping relation around the shoe heel at diametrically opposed points.

cup-shaped member diametrically opposed to and coextensive in height with said upwardly extending semi-cylindrical portion and bearing against said heel shank for biasing said upwardly extending semicylindrical portion and said spring finger toward each other in clamping relation around the shoe shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,964,049 Giannini et al June 26, 1934 2,835,054 Martin May 20, 1958 2,875,534 Grossman Mar. 3, 1959 

1. A PROTECTIVE ATTACHEMENT FOR THE SHANK OF A SPIKE HEEL AND FOR THE BOTTOM TIP END THEREOF, COMPRISING, A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR BASE PLATE, AN UPWARDLY OPENING CUP-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING A TOP RIM AND INTEGRATED CONCENTRICALLY WITH SAID BASE PLATE TO RECEIVE THE BOTTOM TIP END OF THE HEEL SHANK, AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING SEMI-CYLINDRICAL MEMBER INTEGRATED CONCENTRICALLY WITH SAID CUP-SHAPED MEMBER PARTIALLY EMBRACING SAID HEEL SHANK, AND, AT LEAST ONE SPRING FINGER CARRIED BY THE RIM OF SAID CUPSHAPED MEMBER COEXTENSIVE IN HEIGHT WITH SAID UPWARDLY EXTENDING SEMI-CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND BEARING AGAINST SAID HEEL SHANK FOR BIASING SAID SEMICYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND SAID SPRING FINGER TOWARD EACH OTHER IN CLAMPING RELATION AROUND THE SHOE HEEL AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED POINTS. 